To Fall (The To Fall Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

I grimaced. “You’re gonna laugh.”

His mouth tilted up on one side. “Let’s risk it.”

“I twisted my ankle.” It sounded more like a question.

“Are you a magnet for accidents, Abby?” Laughing, he walked around me.

With a frown, I took my other earbud out and silenced Florida Georgia Line. “Yeah, I guess.”

Xander knelt before me, holding up his palms near my foot. “May I?”

“Sure.” I cringed, that may have come out a bit eager.

With care, he lifted my leg and rested it on his knee. I was absorbed watching him; he even made untying a sneaker sexy as his muscles flexed and stretched from the tiny movements of his deft fingers. His hand skimmed over my foot and tugged off my sock. I was happy my toes were freshly painted pink. Long fingers wrapped around my ankle and they were warm against my sweaty skin. I figured this would hurt, but it didn’t. In fact, once his skin touched mine, the pain was gone.

Across the street, a child cried out and stomped her feet. The mother stood her ground over the tantrum subject—a bike much too big for her. Xander’s hands heated over my ankle, fingers massaged me, and a sharp pain returned for a second, drawing my eyes back to him. When I looked down, he drew his fingers away. Both the pain and the bruises were gone.
That’s just not possible
.

I turned my ankle over on his knee. “Wow. Can I add masseuse to your résumé?”

His eyes sparkled up at me. “What?”

“Well, I already have lifeguard, hero, dog rescuer, water boy, and now this.”

Pulling his face into a serious expression, he confessed, “Technically, Caleb saved the dog.”

“Maybe I should start one for him, too,” I offered.

A chuckle rolled through him and a spark of heat shot through me. “Are you keeping tabs on us?”

A nervous laugh bubbled out and I blushed. “No.”
Yes!

Xander rested his hand on my leg, which was still perched on his knee. The touch was so casual, confident. Here I was a nervous wreck, staring at the half-naked man touching me, trying not to act like a spaz, and he acted like touching a girl’s leg he hardly knew was something he was all too accustomed with. And now I was thinking about the long line of girls that he had dated, kissed, and… Oh, I had to shut down that train of thought.

He examined the grounds again with his brows knitted. “No dog?”

“No, definitely no dog.” My head swiveled, too. “No brother?”

“No, not today.” With a quiet laugh, a secretive smile appeared. “We can keep each other company. I promise I won’t run away from you until I get you home. No leash required.” He slipped my sock and sneaker back on.

As I tied my shoe, Xander stayed kneeling. I didn’t look up, but I knew he was staring at me. He stood, held his hands out to me, and I took them. Butterflies. Swarms of the fluttery bugs were in my stomach.

His voice turned into a sexy rumble that I imagined would vibrate through all of those impressive chest muscles. “Can you stand on it?”

I stood and it felt fine, like nothing happened. How did he do that? He slid his shirt back on and I tried to avert my eyes from the last sliver of golden skin on his stomach, failing spectacularly.

He must have caught me because that grin grew a few notches. “Good. Let’s get you back home before you get yourself into more trouble.” He was joking, but for some reason that comment made me feel like a charity case. He wanted to get rid of me so he didn’t have me as a burden anymore and he could get on with his shirtless running and non-sweating. How did he not sweat in this heat?

A few steps into our trek home, he asked, “Are you sad summer is ending?” He was staring again.

“No, I’m glad to go back to school. I’m getting a little stir crazy in the house.” After a pause, I braved a question. “How do you know Tyler?”

The smile fell and awkward beats passed before answering. “I met Tyler through our parents. They’re mutual friends.” His voice sounded tight.

“Are you new to this area? I’ve never seen you around before…the pool party.” Okay, not a complete lie. I had seen him at the hospital—I was sure of it. And there was that little thing about making out with him in my dream every night, but that was best left unsaid.

More silence and he looked to the clouds. “Yes.”

“Are you and your brother going to school nearby?”

“Yes,” he clipped.

Hmm. I had to ask a question he couldn’t answer with a one-syllable word. “What year are you in school?”

He sighed. “Sophomore.”

Okay, that sigh wasn’t good and the growing lump in my throat wasn’t either. I had annoyed him, which I didn’t understand. Either he wasn’t a talker or he didn’t want to talk to me. Maybe he was being polite and hoped I would say no to a walk.

I didn’t know why I let myself get emotional over this guy. I hated it. I only knew the real Xander for twenty minutes. What was I expecting? This dream connection I had to him, irrational love for him, it was all me, in my own head, not his. My heart began beating faster and my breaths became shallow. I blamed the heat for the tears stinging my eyes, too. Biting my lip, I looked away.

Xander came to an abrupt stop. “Abby, are you all right? Do you need to sit down?” He grabbed my wrist and I couldn’t help but let out a gasp. His touch was inhumanly warm.

“I…need a moment.” I couldn’t swallow past that stupid lump and realized I left my water over by the swings.

Leaning closer to me, his other hand cupped my cheek, forcing me to look into his eyes that were warm and concerned. How did he flip his switch like that?

My heart slowed down and my breathing came back to normal. His hand was hot, but comforting against my skin, and he hadn’t let go of my wrist yet. We were standing there, staring into each other’s eyes in the middle of my neighborhood, our bodies inches away, close enough his cloudy scent blew over me. There was a flicker of something in his eyes when he let me go, a flash of regret maybe. His mixed signals were so confusing. I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I didn’t want to risk another one-word answer again. I kept quiet for the rest of the way and so did he.

Nearing my house, I noticed the open garage door. Great. My parents were getting it ready to fix the drywall. Again. Bickering drifted out and Xander forged on. He didn’t hesitate. Crap, he was going in. I put a hand on his bulky bicep and tingles zinged through me.

Without any filter, I blurted out, “Um, I should warn you, I’m adopted. You’d probably figure it out when you see how different I look from my family.” Well, that was smooth.

He gave me a small smile and waited for me to go in. Mom and Dad wore matching looks of curiosity at this strange boy in their garage with their daughter.

“Dad, Mom, this is my, um…friend, Alexander Wright.” Once again, it sounded more like a question. Was he my friend? Did twenty minutes qualify us as friends? Would Xander get offended I had labeled him as a
friend
?

“Mr. Miller, Mrs. Miller.” His deep voice echoed in the garage.

He shook Dad’s hand, then Mom’s. My parents didn’t speak. They were in shock or experiencing heatstroke. Giggles erupted from the corner, and much too late, I saw Emma and Olivia were here. Oh, I hoped they didn’t embarrass me.

They bounded over to him. “Are you Abby’s boyfriend?” One second. Record timing.

“Emma!” I was going to have to make her pay later. Maybe a wet willy was in order. My cheeks heated again. “Xander, these are my sisters, Emma and Olivia.”

Glancing up to gauge his expression, he was watching me instead of looking at the girls. I mouthed,
I’m sorry
to him. His smile returned and he knelt, holding his hand out to the twins. They giggled at the gesture and shook his hand, pumping his arms up and down and he played along. He was good with kids. Maybe he had younger siblings.

Mom finally spoke. “Alexander, would you like to come in for a while?” She gestured toward the door like there was a brand new car wrapped in a red bow behind it and I stopped breathing.

“I would, thank you,” Xander said. “But I think Abby needs to lie down.”

Mom and Dad snapped back to reality.

“Abby? Did something happen?”

I waved Dad off. “No, I’m fine. Worn out from the heat.” I hoped Xander wouldn’t mention the ankle.

“Are you repairing this yourself, sir?” Thank goodness Xander changed the subject.

Mom laughed. “He’s going to try.”

“Yes, Alexander. I am.” Dad made a point to look at Mom and she rolled her eyes.

Xander grinned at their exchange. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going. It was a pleasure meeting everyone.” Leaning down toward me, his eyes twinkled, voice low. “I kept my promise, Abby. No leash.”

“Bye,” I whispered.

Holding my gaze, his smile faded and his brows pulled together. For a moment, I was stupid enough to believe this was it. He would ask for my phone number or a date, and then I remembered all the people gawking at us. He gave me a slight nod and turned. My heart dropped.

As Xander strolled down the sidewalk, I watched him tear off his shirt, tuck it in his shorts, and break into a run. Kissing noises reverberated in the garage from the twins. Mom snapped at them to stop it, but she wasn’t convincing since she was laughing along. I hoped he was out of earshot with his superhuman hearing.

“He’s cute!” Mom’s blue eyes widened.

“Mom!”

“Well, he is!” she said as if she were the authority on hot men. “How long have you been
friends
?”

I rolled my eyes. “I met him a few weeks ago. I don’t know him very well.”

She poked her head out of the garage to catch one last look at the Greek god running around like a mortal. “He likes you.”

“Why does everyone think that?”

Dad answered, “Abby, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.” The realization hit him as his head plunged out of the garage, staring after the guy he thought was interested in his daughter. Concern stretched across his face.

I shook my head at him. No, he was wrong. He wasn’t there when I asked Xander those personal questions on our walk. Four times, I’d seen him and each time, it ended with a varied good-bye and nothing more.

15

Xander

“He’s cute!” Was the last thing I heard before turning the corner.

Circling back around the block, I hid among the rooftops, waiting. Hours later, the twins scrambled outside to play in the sprinklers and dance to country music. The back door opened again and everything else disappeared. Without telling my body to move, I crawled into a tree for a better vantage point.

Abby wore the sexiest pink polka dot bikini with tiny bows on the hips and another one in the middle of the top. My entire body tensed and my hands gripped the tree limbs, snapping one. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. Toned muscles lined her stomach, the bikini bottoms hugged her slender bottom, and bronzed legs stretched from Earth to Heaven. My attention directed up to her breasts and stopped there for much too long. The soft, creamy skin of her tender swells hid behind those pink polka dots. Another part of the tree snapped. If I wasn’t careful, I would take the whole damn tree down.

I was happy she was comfortable here and she didn’t hide her scar all the time.

Sitting in a lawn chair under an umbrella, Abby mouthed the words to each lyric of every song. She made funny faces and arm gestures while I smiled the entire time.

Emma cried out, “Abby, you’re not going to sing are you?”

“Yeah, Abby. Please don’t ruin the songs!” Olivia pleaded.

A grin that was an intoxicating combination of sin and innocence crept across those lush lips. Shooting to her feet, she belted out the words to the song. Her singing voice was off key and out of tune, but she laughed. She danced. I watched her small hips sway and arms move. No one on Earth could qualify this as dancing, more like flailing. She didn’t care. Abby was having fun. The way she smiled, her whole face lit up brighter than an angel’s light right into my heart. Mesmerizing me.

Twenty seconds into the performance, Abby’s voice came breathy and sweat dotted her forehead. The twins threw their hands over their ears and rolled in the grass like they were on fire. Abby kept singing.

Margaret yelled from the back door, shaking her finger, “Abigail Miller! You know better!”

“Yeah…I do,” she grumbled. Abby’s shoulders slumped and sat in the chair that Margaret pointed to. How very sad. Abby only wanted a normal life, to have fun with her sisters, sing, and dance, but she couldn’t.

Margaret appeared a little while later with ice cream sandwiches; Emma and Olivia turned into a sticky mess and they went inside for showers.

Abby moved the umbrella to hide the sun and stubbed her toe on the base. “Damn it!” Her hands flew over her mouth and looked around for an audience. Arching her head back to the Heavens, Abby whispered, “Sorry!”

Adorable.

Sitting back down on the lawn chair, she mouthed lyrics again, playing
Candy Crush Saga
on her laptop until one song played. A slow melody. With the first chord, Abby’s posture tensed. She closed the laptop, pushed it away, and hugged her knees. The tears streamed fast and mercilessly as she welcomed her sorrow.

Listening to the words, it was about a young couple that decided not to have their child. Is that what Abby thought of Anne? That she wasn’t loved? That she wasn’t wanted? Nothing could be further from the truth. I was overwhelmed with a longing to leave this tree, fly down to her, scoop her up, push her tears away, and hold her. Hold her and take it all away. But I didn’t. I watched her tears dry.

When I came back home, my siblings were watching a movie. Assembling sandwiches, I was starved and shaky after being out most of the day, just having cereal this morning.

“How was Abby?” Hannah asked, pausing the movie.

“Fine. Well, she twisted her ankle, but she’s okay now,” I stated. There wasn’t a response. Glancing up, the three of them smiled at me. I swallowed my bite of turkey on rye. “What?”

Calista’s eyes twinkled. “You volunteer to watch her all the time.”

“I’m helping out, making it up to you. It wasn’t fair that I made you three pull all the shifts.”

Hannah and Calista laughed.

“What?” I demanded.

Caleb stood, using his hand to hide a grin. “Brother, we can sense what you’re feeling. We see what’s going on.”

A streak of panic went through me, was I that transparent? I thought I had hid it pretty well. “There’s nothing going on.”

They laughed harder.

I leaned across the island. “What?”

“You’re a terrible liar!” Hannah flung herself back on the couch, giggling.

I sighed, conceding to the truth. “I’m confused. I have feelings for a human. For Abby. I’m…drawn to her. This is wrong. I’m her Guardian.”

They sobered, realizing my torment.

“Alexander, maybe we should reassign you. I can speak with the Archangels,” Hannah suggested.

“No!” I had said it with too much force and evened my voice. “I want to stay here. With you guys. With Abby.” The last part was a whisper, but they could hear it.

I couldn’t look them in the eye. I didn’t know if I should be ashamed for allowing human emotions to overwhelm me. I didn’t know what I was doing. Abby filled my thoughts, conscious and unconscious. When I wasn’t looking at her, I was looking forward to the next time I would see her. I felt somewhat out of control and I didn’t have anyone who could give me advice.

Caleb held up his hands. “Okay.”

Calista’s hand rested on my arm. “What is it, Brother?”

“I don’t know how to love a human this way. I don’t know how to control these feelings, they’re intense and overwhelming me.”

Caleb’s hand went to my shoulder and I met his eyes. “Alexander, it has been done before, you’ll learn. Brother, I ask that if you love her, you must be fair to her. You must choose before things go too far. Serve God or be with Abby. You can’t have both and you know the price of either choice.”

He was right. Very soon, I would have to make that choice. For the briefest of moments, I wished God had never given us the ability to change, to choose, to love.

This would be the hardest decision of my existence.